Journey's end

"Before you know it, they will be sitting for the PSLE". I remember those exact words. It was close to the end of kindergarten for Tai Pi. I can still see it - Tai Pi and her classmate Zac playing in the field at the childcare centre without a care in the world. I watched them wistfully, knowing that Tai Pi would soon enter primary school and face the stress that comes with it.

Well Zac's mother was right. In the blink of an eye, Tai Pi is sitting for her PSLE and I am sitting on a bench at Wheelock Place waiting to pick her up when she's done.

After today she will have only the Science paper left and then the PSLE is over. We've come to the end of the "road to PSLE" which began with a struggle with "more than" and "less than" and will hopefully end with confirmation of a place at the School of the Arts.

Sitting on a bench at Wheelock Place and blogging on my iPad.

I love having time to myself.

Raise a wild child

This afternoon Tai Pi was like a participant in her favourite reality show, Project Runway, where promising fashion designers design and sew outfits in 24 hours.

Gathering the fabric she bought from a textile shop at Arab Street and with her limited sewing skills, she managed to put together a blouse and skirt for Sai Pi. In the course of it, the model was pricked several times by the needle - a bit hard to avoid given that she was wearing the blouse while it was being sewn, and the aspiring designer was almost defeated by the complexity of creating an elasticized waistline. After some blood (Sai Pi's) and much sweat (Tai Pi's), the outfit was ready and happily paraded by the lovely model in a fashion show held in the living room.

Watching Tai Pi enthusiastically toiling away reminded me of an article I read some 2 years back - "Raising Children with a Wild Streak" by Mark Pruett. I'm re-producing the article here for posterity. Girls, if you are reading this, I hope you will give your children lots of free time and space to do as they wish and maybe they too will discover their passions and develop a "wild streak".

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Raise Children With a Wild Streak

by Mark Pruett

A new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics stresses the importance of childhood playtime. It reinforces my own belief that many young adults have been cheated by years of excessive schoolwork and teamwork, too many extracurricular activities, and a straitjacketed "just say no to anything risky" upbringing. I am convinced that modern childhood generally does not build enough independence and thirst for knowledge.

For the past few years I helped interview high school seniors seeking scholarships to come to Appalachian State University. These applicants come from all over the state. They play instruments and sports, participate in church and charity, and work in diverse jobs.

They also display remarkably similar accomplishments. They are at the top of their high school classes and possess generically good manners. They lead teams, groups and clubs. They are smart, solid and hardworking.

They might be surprised to learn that I, like many college professors, yearn for rarer traits -- curiosity, passion, a wild streak. Yes, teamwork and leadership skills will help your child to implement someone else's ideas, and extensive extracurricular activities will foster responsibility. What your child really needs, though, is an inventive, self-reliant, restless spirit.

The key questions

For me, the heart-wrenching interview moment is when we ask these teenagers what they would choose to do on a day spent alone. Many say they never have the chance. Worse still, some have no answer at all. This should disturb and sadden any parent. In the end, my scholarship votes ride on two questions: Is this someone that I'd be excited to have in my class? And is he or she open to being changed by my class? Class rank and extracurricular activities are less important than genuine individuality or enthusiasm. It matters not whether someone is bold or shy, worldly or naïve. Is there a flash of determination, a streak of independence, a creative passion, an excited curiosity?

We need more students like the ones who leave after graduation to work as missionaries or in the Peace Corps. More like the ones who start successful businesses while in school. More like the ones who find the courage to go overseas for a summer or a semester because they know their own worlds are far too small.

Some students are team players and high achievers, but I'd trade them for stubbornly creative iconoclasts. Some students as children were taught to color inside the lines, watch Barney the purple dinosaur, and always ask permission. We need students who found out what Crayons tasted like, loved reading "The Cat in the Hat" and paid little attention to rules -- students whose parents encouraged their children's curiosity.

Something's missing

The irony is that many students begin to perceive late in college that they've missed something along the way. They regret not taking risks with difficult professors, unusual courses or semesters abroad. They berate themselves by equating self-worth with grades, and they are saddened by the realization that they have only glimpsed the breadth of the university. They begin to grasp that their uncomfortable sense of passivity has its roots in the highly controlled existence foisted on them.

Parents: love, guide and support your children, but don't insulate them, control them or let them be too busy. Independence, confidence and creativity come from freedom, risk and a good measure of unstructured solitude.

Encourage studying but make them play hooky, too -- partly to learn what it feels like to be unprepared and partly to foster spontaneity, irreverence and joy. Study chemistry together, then blow up a television in the backyard.

Foster camaraderie and connectedness through group activities (especially family ones), but be unyielding in your commitment to teaching them to love doing things entirely on their own. Make each child plan and cook the family's dinner on his or her own once a week.

Surround them with books, not video games. Raise a garden or build a deck together. Send them on solo trips.

However you choose to do it, give your children, their teachers and society one of the greatest gifts of all: Help your kids become creative, independent, curious, interesting people.

About the author...

Mark Pruett is an assistant professor in the Walker College of Business at Appalachian State University.

The role of TV in career planning

Couple of days back, I was walking Sai Pi to school for ballet class and we were having a conversation about TV programmes. She said she thought Dora the Explorer was a good programme for very young children because they could learn something from it, but it was too childish for "older" children aged 5-7 like herself. So I asked her what TV programme she considered appropriate for children aged 5-7.

Sai Pi: "Totally Spies is good for children 5 to 7 years old because they don't have a dream so when they watch Totally Spies maybe they will think they want to be a spy. If not they will become nuns and nuns are not very interesting because they don't really have anything to do." LOL

oooh spies are so totally cool!!!

"Oh I'm so bored. I don't really have anything to do."

Millionaires' Club

A few days back, we were dropping Tai Pi off at the exam centre where she was to take her PSLE Oral Exam, but we were early so we went for a drive around a posh neighbourhood close by. As we drove past the big bungalows with their collection of luxury cars, we told Tai Pi this is where the super rich people live. She asked us innocently, "Is this where the PAP people live since they earn millions?" I burst out laughing while KK accused me of planting subversive ideas into our children's heads. All I did was tell the girls how well paid our leaders are, how many times more they are earning compared to US President Obama; it's not my fault if even children can see the absurdity of it.

Moment of truth

"I got the letter! I got the letter!" Tai Pi screamed from the carpark. We had been waiting anxiously for the letter from the School of the Arts (SOTA) and it was finally here, the moment of truth was upon us.

Tai Pi was too nervous to open the letter so I did it. She had wanted to attend SOTA since she first heard about it some years back, and to think that we would finally know if she could or could not, does she or does she not have the talent..... it was too much; I felt faint. I slowly turned over the folded letter.... "CONFIRMED OFFER....". YES!!!!!! She made it!!!!!! Tai Pi and her sisters screamed with joy.

I can't remember the last time I felt such relief. All these years of worry, all these years of wondering if she has what it takes to get into SOTA. I knew she had the passion; that was obvious from a young age, but I couldn't judge if she had the talent. I did think she could draw very well, but so could many kids her age.

So now I can finally put my mind at ease. Tai Pi does have talent and I'm sure it will serve her well now and always.

Now to clear the next hurdle - PSLE here we come!

Tai Pi with the letter of acceptance from SOTA and part of the portfolio that earned her a place in the school. The canvas painting is her first attempt at painting on canvas. She made those clothes on the Barbie dolls. The toilet tube dolls at the bottom left were a hit with the panellists. The scrapbook at the bottom right shows a sample of Tai Pi's fashion drawings. The bangle she's wearing features a leaf-inspired motif designed by her.

Let the countdown begin

I started this blog to let off steam 5 years ago when Tai Pi was in P1. Coaching her in math and in particular dealing with the "more than", "less than" questions was driving me up the wall. This blog was meant to record our journey towards the PSLE but has assumed a much greater purpose since then. I realised along the way that a blog like this would tell our story to future generations - not just within the family but to others as well. Having always enjoyed my father's stories of the old days and not having as good a memory as he did, putting down my thoughts like this as I go along is really the best way for me to preserve the memories.

But I digress. What I meant to talk about is the PSLE; yes it's finally just around the corner! The much dreaded first major exam taken by kids in Singapore, the cause of much stress for kids and their parents alike, and the inspiration for this blog, is but 3 months away. I feel as if we are headed towards a waterfall and there's little we can do but drift towards it and hope we survive the fall.

I actually feel both happy and anxious about this. No doubt it's causing us some stress but I'm also thinking the fact that it will be upon us soon also means that it will soon be over. And boy will we be relieved when it's done with!

But what would bring us the greatest relief is if Tai Pi gets accepted into the School of the Arts (SOTA) which she so badly wants to join. She went for an audition there a few weeks back and will know the results in early August. Not sure about this year but there were more than 1000 applicants vying for 200 places last year. Tai Pi said that many of the applicants were for Visual Arts which is the area that she applied for. If she receives a positive answer from SOTA in early August, she will only have to obtain a good enough PSLE score that qualifies her for the Express Stream (that means doing better than one third of PSLE candidates which is anyway the benchmark set for homeschoolers for a PSLE pass) and then we won't have to worry so much about the PSLE and which school she would end up in. This is especially important for Tai Pi as the MOE only processes homeschoolers' secondary school applications after they are done with the posting for mainstreamers which means that homeschoolers get posted to whichever school still has vacancies regardless of how well they may have scored in the PSLE. Unfair I know but that's the MOE for you.

So from now till early August, I am keeping my fingers and toes crossed and hoping that Tai Pi's talent and passion for art is sufficient to earn her a place in her dream school.

Taking the Wheel

I know I haven't blogged in ages. I keep telling myself I have to keep it going as this blog serves as a sort of personal history record for the girls and future generations. I'll get round to filling in the huge gaps but in the meantime here's the latest news - I'm finally taking driving lessons!

I'm the only adult I know who doesn't have a driver's license. The girls are so used to this that they can't imagine me driving. But dragging 3 kids and their stuff around especially in the hot sun got me thinking that perhaps I should get a car. We are tired too of our bad luck with taxis - whenever we need one, there's none in sight, but when we don't need one, they are everywhere!

So three days ago, I sat for the Basic Theory Test, passed it (49 out of 50 questions right) and had my first driving lesson. After the lesson, the girls first question to me was, "Did you crash into another car?" Hmmm such faith they have in their mother...

Our little part in local history

We are used to seeing "Uncle Pat" in the news. But this time it's our turn in the limelight! We appeared in Straits Times Life! and on the front page of LianHe ZaoBao (联合早报), all thanks to the little documentary on the Gemmill Fountain we made last year in April.

We were interviewed by the press a few days before as well as at the media event on Friday that the museum invited us to. The conservators were there to explain the restoration works done to the 146-year-old drinking fountain and we also enjoyed a personal guided tour of the "Quest for Immortality - The World of Ancient Egypt" exhibition.

Just making the documentary was great fun, but to have it end this way makes it all the more unforgettable. The Gemmill Fountain will always have a special place in our hearts!

Straits Times Life! Monday 8th February 2010

Front page news in LianHe ZaoBao!

LianHe ZaoBao, Monday 8th February 2010

There's Pat, with Sai Pi partially hidden, and I'm the one with the umbrella.

Intelligence or Courage?

Starting this new school year, we have "Philosophy" on our timetable; a little something I included to make sure that I don't neglect to nurture the girls' creative and critical thinking. It's really interesting to listen to their views on various issues and offers an insight into their values and mindset.

This afternoon, I posed the question of Intelligence or Courage to the girls - which would they choose to have?

Tai Pi: "I choose courage because if say I had to save someone from a dragon, I need courage for that. If I didn't know how to do it, I could learn what to do from someone else."

Sai Pi: "I choose intelligence because if I was smart I can come up with a plan and I will look for someone who is brave to do it."

Hmm good thinking!

A few days ago, we were watching the 9pm Chinese serial which had one of the male leads getting shot while trying to save a friend who had gotten herself into trouble despite having been earlier warned by her well-meaning friends. KK asked the girls if the male lead should have gone to his friend's aid now that they could see that he would be shot. The girls' immediate answer was a resounding "Yes" and Pumpkin explained that "we should care for others." Now isn't that sweet?

Home Sweet Old Home

I was logged into our desktop computer (because I left my laptop charger at my friend's office yesterday, argh!!!) and was surfing about some websites that were bookmarked on the computer. There was this one which brought a smile to my face.

We were looking for a buyer for our home 3 years back and I created this blog for interested parties to find out more about the property. Our old home really sounds like paradise from what I wrote in the blog!!! Haha!!! I'm quite the saleswoman!!! or maybe just a good copywriter. Notice too that the mess is nowhere to be seen, having been temporarily banished into the cupboards, storeroom, anywhere that it could be stuffed into.

I also created an online ad that would appear along the side when someone searched for Premiere@Tampines, a DBSS project that was launched around that time and was proving to be quite popular. I didn't think it made sense to pay so much for a HDB flat when you could get a condo in the same vicinity for about the same price. So the GoogleAd was meant to direct people to a better buy, heh heh.

Eventually the apartment was sold to a couple who lived in the same condo, in the block just opposite ours. So they know full well how the afternoon sun blasts mercilessly into the living and dining rooms (hence the Luxaflex blinds) and one of the bedrooms and heats up the wall of the master bedroom, turning our sanctuary into an oven. Yes I neglected to mention this little detail, but that's advertising for you!!!

Civic District / Singapore River Heritage Tour

I had planned this field trip months back and it had taken me a whole day to work out the route we would take and also read up on the points of interest. Finally this morning, we were off on our Civic District / Singapore River Heritage Tour!

We started off at the Civilian War Memorial, dedicated to the civilians who died during the Japanese Occupation. We'd passed by this monument countless times but this was the first time we actually went right up to it. Ah, so this is what it looks like within the 4 pillars.

Civilian War Memorial with its 4 pillars, one each for the Chinese, Malays, Indians and Eurasians killed during the Japanese Occupation

Then it was off to the Esplanade Park. First stop: Tan Kim Seng Fountain erected in 1882 by the Municipal Council in recognition of Tan Kim Seng's $13,000 donation to the Singapore Water Works. I wanted to kick myself when I got home and was uploading the photos. I had forgotten to take a picture of the beautiful Victorian fountain. Arghhh!!! So instead, here is a very very old photo of the fountain in its original location at Fullerton Square (see bottom left corner of photo). The fountain shifted to its present location in 1925.

Looking at the photo, it would seem the fountain, nicely shaded by some trees, was a popular place to sit and watch the world go by, or you could imagine people saying, "let's meet at the fountain". In its present location, it stands away from the hustle and bustle of the city, as if the excitement were all too much for the grand dame.

"Meet you at the Tan Kim Seng Fountain after work!"

The next monument along the Esplanade Park has a special place in my heart because it was the site of one of my favourite childhood photos. Here is the shot taken at the Cenotaph more than 30 years ago:

And here's a remake of the shot. I'm not sitting half as elegantly as Mummy and the girls are much bigger than the original three munchkins but it's a good attempt at repeating history. And notice that the steps are so much dirtier now... eeeww!!!

The next point of interest is a very well known one, if not by sight then by name - the Lim Bo Seng Memorial. I imagine there can be no student in Singapore not already familiar with the the name of this WWII hero. While not taking away any of his deserved glory, I like to remind the girls that Lim Bo Seng was but one of many people who sacrificed their lives for their country.

The other war hero often cited by the powers that be is Lt Adnan Saidi of the Malay Regiment who fought valiantly at Bukit Chandu. Notice that we have one Chinese war hero and one Malay war hero? *wink* *wink* My theory on this focus on particular individuals is that it gives school children specific individuals to look up to and emulate, something less easily accomplished where the subject is a group of people. They think of everything don't they!

Lim Bo Seng Memorial. If you have not heard of Lim Bo Seng, you either are not a student in a Singapore school or you absolutely do not pay attention in class.

After walking through a tunnel under Fullerton Road, we arrived at the Dalhousie Obelisk. I feel sorry for the merchants who contributed money to erect this monument in honour of Lord Dalhousie's visit in 1850. They had hoped that the Governor-General of India's visit would lead to dramatic improvements to public works, amenities and administration of the settlements. But the VIP came and left and the flattery did not result in much progress so I think the obelisk was a bit of a waste of money. They say that the monument also acts as a reminder of the benefits of free trade. Yeah whatever...

The Dalhousie Obelisk. What's the point?

A short walk away we come to someone who really did make a difference in our history. Standing in front of the Victoria Theatre and Victoria Memorial Hall is the bronze statue of Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of Singapore. It was unveiled at the Padang facing the sea in 1887 and shifted to its present site in 1919 during Singapore's centenary celebrations.

Here's the statue in its original location in the middle of the Padang with St Andrew's Cathedral in the background. After suffering hits from soccer balls and being used as a seat by spectators, the statue was moved to a safer site where it could better maintain its dignity.

"Ouch! Damn soccer balls!"

We went round the back of Victoria Theatre and found ourselves at Old Parliament House. "Old" because it is no longer used as a parliament house. Neither was it originally meant to be used as such. Constructed in 1826, the building was designed by George Coleman as a residence for Scottish merchant John Argyle Maxwell who leased it out to the government to use as a Court House. It is the oldest surviving structure in Singapore but has been modified so much over the years that little remains of Coleman's original design.

Old Parliament House with the Elephant Statue, a gift from King Chulalongkorn, in commemoration of his visit to Singapore in 1871, the first visit to a foreign land by a Thai monarch.

Maxwell's House designed by George Coleman

Heading towards the river, we arrived at the Raffles Landing Site, supposedly where the founder of Singapore set foot on this island. The white polymarble statue of Raffles found here was cast from the original 1887 bronze statue.

Ok enough walking. After cooling down with some ice cream and green tea, we were ready for part 2 of the tour - a ride up and down the Singapore River on a bumboat!

The cruise was much more pleasant that I had anticipated. I didn't realise till now that the bumboats ran on electricity, so it was nice and quiet (save for the commentary which fortunately was not annoying). The gentle breeze made the ride all the more enjoyable such that I quite regretted not taking the longer route that runs all the way to Robertson Quay. If we had gone that way, I could have pointed out to the girls where Pulau Saigon used to be. Not many people know that there used to be islets along the river, one of them being Pulau Saigon. The condominium River Place and part of Clemenceau Avenue are situated where the islet used to be.

The boat made a U-turn at Clarke Quay and headed back towards the mouth of the river and we got off at Merlion Park. I asked the girls what two animals is the Merlion a composite of and they replied "mermaid and lion". The correct answer is fish and lion. Apparently, the lion head symbolises the legend of the rediscovery of Singapura by Sang Nila Utama and the fish tail alludes to our humble beginnings as a fishing village. Hmm, good job by the souvenir committee of the Singapore Tourism Board.

With that we came to the end of our heritage tour and we started on our way to Raffles City for lunch. We took the opportunity to walk across Anderson Bridge. This bridge was constructed in 1910 to cope with the increasing traffic which was putting a strain on neighbouring Cavenagh Bridge. Following the opening of Anderson Bridge, Cavenagh Bridge was converted into a pedestrian bridge.

To get to Raffles City, we had to pass through Esplanade Park again. We walked along the side of the park and were excited to find a Cannonball Tree. We picked up a cannonball fruit from the ground and from its size and weight, it was easy to see why the tree was named such. Closer to Raffles City, near the underpass exit at the end of Esplanade Drive, we found another Cannonball Tree, this one heavily overladen with fruit; it was quite a sight! Arghh I should have taken a photo of that one too!

Finally we made it to the air-conditioned comfort of Raffles City. Tai Pi and Pumpkin had fun with the Japanese toilet seat with integrated bidet which seems unique to this mall. We had lunch at Shodoku Japanese Food Bazaar, a favourite with the girls and a satisfying end to our excursion.

The girls' favourite corner at Shodoku

Old photo sources:

* Photographic Views of Singapore, G.R. Lambert

* Singapore Then & Now, Ray Tyers

Dream of Amsterdam

Our geography lessons have taken us to Europe this time, after we completed Asia and the Americas. We started off in northern Europe and had fun learning some Norwegian words. Now as we moved a little south, the girls have become fascinated with.... Amsterdam! We watched a travel show (Passport to Europe with Samantha Brown, borrowed from the library) and the girls were awed by the beauty of the Amsterdam canals. Tai Pi insists that we move to Amsterdam ("It's so beautiful, not like Singapore!").

So beautiful!

The girls know exactly what they want to do there - live in one of the houseboats moored along the canal, visit Anne Frank's Secret Annex and of course the museum dedicated to their most favourite artist Vincent Van Gogh.

This morning they watched the travel show for the 3rd time and continue with their demands to go to Amsterdam. Sigh... I would love to visit Amsterdam too, or anywhere in Europe for that matter, having never set foot in that continent except for that little bit of Istanbul that sits in Europe but that doesn't count. Hopefully someday soon, someday soon.

One of Tai Pi's favourite Van Gogh paintings -

Wheat Field with Reaper at Sunrise

One of Pumpkin's favourite Van Gogh paintings -

Portrait of Dr Gachet

Sai Pi's favourite Van Gogh painting - Sunflowers

Our old yellowed copy of The Diary of Anne Frank

which Tai Pi is now reading

How to end a war

Couple of days ago, we were having an NE (National Education) lesson and were discussing the topic of WWII and the Japanese Occupation. We got to the part where the Japanese were defeated and the girls learnt that what brought the Japanese to their knees were the atomic bombs dropped onto Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

I asked them what they thought about how the Japanese were defeated.

Tai Pi: It's not right. We are doing to them what they did to us [referring to the Japanese bombing of Singapore].

Me: What would you have done then to end the war?

Pumpkin: Talk it out?

Tai Pi: Use sexy women as bait and trap the enemy then threaten to shoot them unless they surrender!

Sai Pi: Make them something they like, like pie and if they want the pie they must surrender.

So you see, there really are less destructive ways to end a war if you put three little girls in command.

Green Art

I would like to think I do what I can to help save the environment although I know there's more I could do.

Let's see how we're doing:

REDUCE

The stallholders at the wet market are familiar with KK and I by now - the couple with the Tupperware and their own plastic bags.

RECYCLE

Now and then we make a trip to the recycling bins at Marine Parade to dump our recyclable waste. The bins are always full; I wish they would clear them more frequently.

REUSE

This one is fun! Here's what we did with egg cartons, cereal boxes and soft drinks boxes this past couple of weeks:

Made from egg cartons - colourful caterpillar and a scene from The Story of Redhill (notice the boy lying at the top of the hill which is red with his blood)

Play slippers made using cereal boxes and soft drinks carton boxes. The pair at the bottom right also makes use of the mesh covering used to protect some fruits.

Sai Pi wearing her home-made play slippers

Waking up to a nightmare

On 6th October 30 years ago, I awoke early in the morning to news that would change my life forever. Mummy had been rushed to hospital the night before and had passed on without even saying good bye. She was 34 years old. I remembered thinking that it couldn't be, and for many nights after that, I would tell myself that it was all a nightmare and that when I woke up, Mummy would be there and everything would be back to what it was before.

Now 30 years later, on the morning of 27th May, I again awoke to devastating news. Pa was operated on the night before in what was supposedly minor surgery carried out under local anaesthetic to have blood drained out from his head. When the neurosurgeon, who happened to be one of Pa's golfing buddies, was down to the last 3 stitches, Pa had a seizure and subsequently fell into a coma.

This was his second head surgery, the first being in March to have a blood clot removed, and that time he had recovered well and was scheduled to fly to Singapore on 3rd June.

I rushed to Khon Kaen Thailand the next day with Sui Kou and her husband. When I saw Pa at the ICU ward at Khonkaen-Ram Hospital, I was beside myself with anguish. Listening to the neurosurgeon's narration of what happened brought more tears. I cried so much that day my eyes were swollen and I felt nauseous.

Once again, like 30 years before, it seemed I was in a nightmare that I could not wake up from. It felt so surreal. While my life was changing in a fundamental way, it was business as usual in Restaurant City. The cooks were busy at the stoves, food was being served, dishes cleared, ingredients traded. While in Khon Kaen, I found escape in Restaurant City before and after the daily hospital visits.

Also giving me solace was the care and support I received from friends and family. A primary school classmate, now an anaethestist, offered advice and helped put me in touch with a neurologist at Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Friends I happened to catch on MSN or Facebook (thank god for Internet) were a great comfort with their offers of help and prayers. And throughout the ordeal in Khon Kaen, Sui Kou was my pillar of strength; I don't know what I would have done without her.

At first I was hopeful that Pa would suddenly awake from his coma the way it happens on TV. But a week after surgery, a CT scan showed that he had suffered bilateral strokes possibly a day or two after falling into the coma. This was really bad news and the doctor said that we should prepare ourselves to accept that he might never recover.

Sui Kou told me that Pa related to her a nightmare he once had where he is trapped in a dark place and hears Mummy calling him. Could this be his nightmare? Is he trapped, suspended in a barren zone between life and death?

Meanwhile, everywhere we were in Khon Kaen - Big C, Tesco-Lotus, Pa's home, reminded me of happier times we spent on holiday there. Just last November I had gone on an eye-opening trip there with the girls where we got to visit a village school, harvest rice, learn about sericulture and agriculture. And just a month before, I had gone up to visit a week after Pa was discharged from the hospital after the first surgery, bringing Sai Pi along as a surprise.

Thinking about the April trip I made with Sai Pi was especially painful. Pa was making such good recovery and Sai Pi got to spend time with her Kong Kong without having to share him with her sisters. Here on the front porch, we had breakfast together just the month before. And here in the living room Sai Pi had an indoor picnic with Kong Kong. And we sat somewhere around here when we had lunch at the foodcourt at Tesco-Lotus and over at the corner is the indoor playground where Sai Pi was playing happily not so long ago. Sigh... so little time has passed, yet so much has been taken away from us.

Pa was still in a largely vegetative state when I left Khon Kaen. As he was running a fever, the cause of which the doctor was not able to ascertain, the medical evacuation team could not fly him back to Singapore till weeks later.

Pa was wide-eyed and looked almost bewildered when I met him at the A&E entrance at Tan Tock Seng Hospital the night of his arrival from Thailand on 1st July. It was great to see him looking more conscious and such a relief to have him back in Singapore.

Since then I have settled into a routine of homeschooling the girls in the morning followed by visits to Tan Tock Seng Hospital in the afternoon or evenings. Tai Pi shows a lot of concern for her Kong Kong and asks how he's doing everytime I get back from the visits, although my answer to her is always the same - Kong Kong is awake but not speaking or moving but maybe given more time he will recover, and that's what we look forward to.

Sai Pi having an indoor picnic with Kong Kong at his home in Khon Kaen

in April a week after his discharge following the first surgery

Harvesting rice with Kong Kong during our Khon Kaen village holiday last November

The girls with Kong Kong and No.2 Mama at a rice field in Khon Kaen Thailand

Our latest craze

What have I gotten myself into??  I just wanted to see what this game Restaurant City was about, a game in Facebook that Tai Pi's friend wanted her to play.  I went in yesterday afternoon and before I knew it, I got hooked.  The girls are just as mesmerized and we spent much of yesterday staring at the computer screen cheering on my restaurant workers and visiting friends' restaurants.

I had wanted to let the girls play Restaurant City and other computer games, using it as a carrot to get them to do all their duties and bathe by 7pm and tidy up the place, so I wouldn't have to keep nagging them.  So Tai Pi and Pumpkin finally have their own Facebook accounts, but unfortunately they somehow have not able to access Restaurant City.  We'll keep trying.

In the meantime, I've reached Level 6 and have 4 workers, some nice wallpaper and floor tiles and a couple of awards.  I've named my restaurant "Ku Cafe" which would have been the name of the cafe that my friends and I almost opened in Siglap many years ago; so I do finally operate an eatery, even if it's only a virtual one.

My restaurant is the plain one on the left 

next door to a fancier one on the right

The pleasant cheerful interior of my restaurant

Here I am in jeans and a cool t-shirt and 

hair tied back into a ponytail.  Cute eh?

The sand, the sea, and a little green cup

The girls had their last paper of the mid-year exams this morning so in the afternoon we took off for the beach to celebrate the end of exams (certainly not to celebrate their exam results because as far as those are concerned, we should really be in mourning).

Here we are at our usual spot close to Marine Cove with our goodies from the nearby 7-Eleven store - Cheezels and Corntos and some drinks.  I like lugging our stuff to the beach using this plastic laundry basket (which actually does function as the girls' laundry basket when it isn't having a day off at the beach) as the sand washes off easily with just a bit of hosing down.

The girls and I LOVE the beach, even the non-idyllic ones we have in Singapore.  There's something about the sound of waves lapping against the shore and the gentle sea breeze that makes me feel like I'm on vacation.  I glance at my handphone and notice that the network has switched from Starhub to INDOSAT so now I could even imagine I'm on holiday on some Indonesian island!

The girls were having fun along the seashore as the tide came in and then tragedy struck!  An innocent little green cup, one of a set of cups of different colours that nest inside one another, got mercilessly dragged out to sea by the tide.  This set of cups has been with us for years; I believe it was one of Tai Pi's toys from her infanthood.

The green cup bobbed up and down, all the while crying out for help  - "Save me!  Save me!" (cup's voice courtesy of yours truly to add to the melodrama).  The girls could only watch helplessly as it drifted further and further away from shore.

The unsuspecting green cup in happier times 

(bottom right corner of above picture) 

The girls watching helplessly as the green cup floated away

To bring some closure, Tai Pi created an obituary on the sand - "Green Bucket R.I.P."

When I put Sai Pi to bed, she said to me that the best part of the day was building the sand faces (see below) and the not so good part was "the green cup got washed away by the sea.  I feel very sad because we will never ever see it again."  Well, you never know; maybe someday we just might come across a little green cup washed ashore on the beach, waiting to be reunited with its family and the three little girls who loved it so.

Sand face by Sai Pi.  

Happy childhood memories are made of these.

Black Belt at last!

May 3rd 2009 was a proud day for Tai Pi and Pumpkin.  On that day, they received their black belts in Taekwondo three and a half years after they started out.  There was a ceremony where Master Santos Rivas, the principal of J H Kim Taekwondo presented them with their black belts which have their names embroidered on one end and the name of the school in Korean on the other end.

I'm especially proud of Pumpkin for having persevered when there were times when it seemed she would never go beyond the higher grades.  She had wanted to quit soon after getting the black belt but now she has said that she wants to go for first dan.  Way to go Pumpkin!

More on the girls' journey to black belt here, here, here, here and here.

Tai Pi receives her black belt from Master Santos Rivas

Pumpkin receives her black belt from Master Santos Rivas

The girls and Shiggsel with Master Santos Rivas

The girls in their new black belt uniforms